Main menu

Josef Newgarden wants to join the likes of Fernando Alonso on the F1 grid someday. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Haas F1 executive says the next American driver must be prepared or the sport will suffer domestically

Guenther Steiner is the team principal for the only American F1 team

October 27, 2017

Share

Facebook

Tweet

Pinterest

Email

A top decision-maker for the HaasF1 team says signing an unprepared American just for the sake of appeasing fans in the United States could have disastrous consequences for the domestic fan base.

As the only American team on the grid, Haas is routinely pressured by fans to sign an American driver, but it has been reluctant to do so for the time being. Instead, the North Carolina team has hired veteran Formula 1 drivers like French Romain Grosjean and Dane Kevin Magnussen or Ferrari junior drivers Esteban Gutierrez.

So why hasn’t Haas reached out to reigning IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden or 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi, especially considering the latter’s six-race tryout with Manor back in 2015? For one, Haas prefers veterans who can help them develop the car. They also prefer drivers who can bring a check.

But beyond that, team principal Guenther Steiner told reporters on Thursday that an American driver needs to be fully prepared for success or it will set the sport back in the United States.

"My opinion of an American driver is: Yes, it would be great, but it needs to be successful," Steiner said. "I am not saying Josef couldn't be successful, but you cannot just jump into it. I think it's different when you jump into Le Mans from Formula 1 as everything is there, but if you come from another series and jump into Formula 1, it is difficult.

"I don't want to make it sound more difficult than it is because we are all privileged to be here. It's steps you need to take; you cannot just come to Formula 1. Look to Brendon Hartley: I think he's a very good driver, he was a real good talent. His first race (with Toro Rosso in Austin) he struggled with the car compared to Daniil (Kvyat), but it's normal, but he was exposed to the culture of F1. He was a test driver, and Josef has never been exposed to it."

Steiner is wary of the recent experiments with Rossi, who was placed with a backmarker team, or Scott Speed who was largely unprepared for Formula 1 at the time of his debut. For a driver to rally American fans, Steiner believes he must have immediate success.

"To put an American in and make him fail ... that was the same with Alex Rossi, to make him fail is not good for him, not good for F1 in America or good for us.

"The pressure here is tremendous. After three races you don't deliver, you know what you are and you need to leave. It was the same like when we came in: After six races if we didn't deliver, it's just another one that would be gone in six months, and you guys wouldn't be sitting here with me anymore as no one would want to read about us anymore -- I would respect that.

"We need to respect that. If we put an American in Formula 1, that would be great. If the American is 19th, 18th? Nobody is interested."